1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to dye permeable, dye receptive resin compositions, including but not limited to resin compositions suitable for use as dye receptive substrates in film, paper, textiles, plastic articles and the like, the respective articles thereby rendered capable of capturing colors, patterns, and images which can be transferred thereto by sublimation type thermal dye transfer copying, printing and coloring methods.
2. Prior Art
As dye receptive compositions applicable to sublimation type thermal dye transfer copying methods, conventionally, sheet form materials have been employed made of polyester short fibers having acidic groups which have been converted to ammonium salts by, for example, the method recited in Japanese Patent Application First Publication Serial No. Sho-60-112494, the sheet form material made of polyester short fibers with acidic groups first prepared by processing acrylic short fibers with an alkylene carbonate and ammonium salt as described in Japanese Patent Application First Publication Serial No. Sho-60-81359. Due to the fact that such materials are dyeable only by using cationic dyes, and the fact that cationic dyes tend to be photolabile, colors and images captured in conventional dye receptive compositions are prone to degradation on prolonged exposure to light.
Dye receptive compositions have been disclosed which are capable of being dyed using sublimation dispersion dyes having improved photostability characteristics compared with those of conventional cationic dyes. Examples of this kind of resin composition include that disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Second Publication Serial No. Sho-60-188644, wherein a dye receptive composition formed using acrylic polymer, cross-linking agent, phosphate ester, and an amine compound is described.
In ordinary use, these resin compositions are painted on or otherwise applied to a supporting substrate, followed by curing. The dye receiving substrate having been thus prepared is then overlaid with a sheet of transfer paper which has been processed by the application of a layer of a composition impregnated with sublimation dispersion dye (color sheet), such that the side of the transfer paper treated with the dye containing composition is adjacent to the dye receiving substrate. Upon heating, the sublimation dispersion dye sublimes and diffuses into the dye receiving substrate. These resin compositions, however, are poorly susceptible to the dyes under low energy conditions. When heating to a temperature necessary to effect suitable transfer of dye, there is a tendency for the transfer paper to stick to the dye receiving substrate, a phenomenon referred to as blocking.
By increasing the content of phosphate ester and amine compound in the resin which function as release agents, this effect can be limited. However, when the phosphate ester and/or amine compound content has been agumented to overcome the above problem, there is a tendency for the dye from the transfer paper to bleed or run when heated to a temperature of on the order of 50.degree. to 60.degree. C. necessary to sublime the dye, thus causing a deterioration in definition when images or patterns are being transferred.